The Decibel

On Monday, Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc. extended a deadline to mid-February that would finalize the largest telecommunications takeover in Canadian history. The deal would see Rogers buy Shaw for $20-billion. In an already concentrated industry, Canada’s Competition Bureau has argued that the deal would be bad for consumers who already pay some of the high...

The Liberal government brought in Bill C-21 last May that would ban certain firearms. Amendments to the legislation have only confused the matter – some types of guns are banned in some of those amendments, but not in others – and the Liberals’ lack of communication is frustrating people on all sides of the issue. The Globe’s senior political reporter Marieke Walsh tells us why these changes have...

A year after tens of thousands of people descended on Ottawa, some in their big-rig trucks, a lot has changed. Border restrictions have been lifted. Same for vaccine passports and most masking requirements. But the alienation and anger that lay underneath the movement seems to remain. Ottawa reporter Shannon Proudfoot discusses what some of the participants of the convoy think about it now, and wh...

To cope with the rising interest rates and higher-than-normal inflation in the economy, many tech companies are changing how they do business, focusing on turning a profit over growing revenue or market share. Technology reporter Sean Silcoff explains why for many years, forgoing profit was a good bet for startups, why that focus has led to mass layoffs in today’s shakier economic reality, and how...

The residents of Rouyn-Noranda, QC have known about the arsenic emissions coming from the local smelting plant for years. More studies are coming out about health concerns for the residents – but Glencore, the company that owns the plant, is still allowed to emit significantly more arsenic than the rest of the province. The Globe’s Eric Andrew-Gee went to Rouyn-Noranda and spoke with residents abo...

Ukraine wants tanks – 300 of them to be precise. President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that western battle tanks could be the key to driving Russian troops out of his country. But the allies, including Canada, are still deliberating on whether they should send them. Steven Chase has been covering the developments on this aspect of the war for The Globe. He explains why Canada alone can’t make the...

In Canada, the criminal code allows for physical discipline of children, in certain circumstances. For almost half a century, advocates have been fighting to repeal the law, saying it violates children’s rights. Seventeen bills have been introduced in Parliament trying to strike the law down – and all of them have died before they could change the criminal code. Now, two bills trying once again ar...

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced this week his government is increasing the use of private clinics for procedures like cataracts, diagnostic imaging and eventually hip and knee replacements. The move sparked a lot of criticism – but Ford says he’s following the lead of other provinces like B.C., Alberta and Quebec that are already doing something similar. First, we’ll talk to The Globe’s provin...

Over 7-million Venezuelans have left their homes since 2017, when Nicholas Maduro seized power and the state started to collapse. Most refugees have tried to start anew in nearby countries, like Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. But an increasing number are headed north on a dangerous trek that will take them to U.S.’s southern border. It’s a journey that is hugely shaped by policy decisions being made...

On Tuesday, Canada’s new guidelines for drinking and health were released from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction (CCSA). The guidelines say that three to six standard drinks put you at a moderate health risk— and you might be surprised by how much counts as a “standard drink.” Dr. Catherine Paradis is a sociologist and the interim associate director of research at the CCSA. She’...

The economic forecast for 2023 is … less than rosy. Inflation is still running high . Central banks may continue to raise interest rates . And what everyone wants to know is: How long will this last before rates are lowered again? Globe and Mail columnist Tim Kiladze says you can look back in history to get some clues. And they suggest that an investor’s best asset for the next while might be pati...

The holiday travel period was incredibly tumultuous – with passengers stranded , bags lost and thousands of flights cancelled . The airlines say the winter storms caused unprecedented disruptions, but The Globe’s transportation reporter Eric Atkins says the problems go beyond that . He tells us the other factors that led to this chaos, how airlines are responding , and whether this is likely to ha...

Israel’s new far-right government is looking to overhaul the country’s justice system – going so far as seeking to create a law that would allow parliament to override the Supreme Court . If the changes happen, it could have implications on rights for the LGBTQ community, asylum seekers and also exacerbate tensions with the Palestinians. Josef Federman is the News Director of the Associated Press...

There’s a growing demand for food waste apps from both shoppers and grocers. They’ve been touted as a new way for people to score deals as food prices rise , while cutting back on food being thrown out by retailers. Susan Krashinsky Robertson is The Globe and Mail’s retailing reporter and she explains who uses these apps and what evidence there is that they actually help in getting food to people...

The XBB 1.5 variant of COVID is quickly becoming the dominant strain in the US, and we’re seeing more cases here in Canada too. The WHO has called it the most transmissible variant of the virus we’ve seen so far. Some people are calling it ‘The Kraken.’ But not Dr. Angela Rasmussen. She’s a virologist at VIDO, the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan, and s...

Canada’s facing a stressed health care system , persistent inflation and a fraught geopolitical scene . Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne looks at the big issues that will likely be facing the federal government in 2023 and what this means for leaders Justin Trudeau, Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh, and the possibility of a federal election. Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecib...

Shopify began this year announcing to its workers that meetings of more than two employees were banned. Slack channels that were not work-related – the online equivalent of a water cooler and its associated chit-chat – had been deleted. Those changes, along with last year’s sweeping layoffs and the company’s new product offerings, are part of an attempt to bring Shopify back to its glory days, jus...

2022 was a pretty turbulent year financially, with sky-high inflation, interest rates and housing prices. So you might be looking at the coming year and thinking about how to protect your finances against whatever 2023 might bring. The Globe’s personal finance reporter, Erica Alini , recently wrote a MoneySmart Bootcamp newsletter to help people get a better handle on their money. Today, we talk t...

Since China abandoned its COVID-zero policies , the country has seen a dramatic outbreak of infections. But exactly how bad things are remains murky, as contradictory reports of cases and deaths emerge . But other countries are reacting nonetheless; Canada and others have put new travel restrictions on people arriving from China. There are fears that the rate of infection and the size of China’s p...

Ozempic and other semaglutide drugs have been hailed as a very effective treatment for obesity, but shortages, affordability and doctors’ willingness to prescribe it are still keeping people who might benefit from it off the drug. Health reporter Carly Weeks explains how the drug works and how it may force our society to rethink how we perceive obesity. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thed...

Some animals survive harsh winter conditions by completely freezing and thawing in spring, like the wood frog. Researchers are looking to harness these abilities for humans – particularly for organ transplants. Shannon Tessier is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and an investigator at the Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. She tells us...

What started as a protest against vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers turned into a catch-all occupation of pent-up pandemic grievances. By the time it was over, hundreds of people were arrested, Ottawa’s police chief resigned, and the Emergencies Act had been invoked for the first time ever. Today, we look back at how this story dominated headlines throughout the year, from the first...

As part of our picks of the top stories of 2022, we are re-airing this episode about a woman documenting the destruction of the war in Ukraine. This episode originally aired on March 2. Maria Avdeeva is the research director of the European Expert Association , which analyzes Russian disinformation. With the sound of Russia’s attack in the background, Maria explains what’s happening in her hometow...

As part of our picks of the top stories of 2022, we are re-airing this episode on the Pope’s visit to Canada and the Doctrine of Discovery, which originally aired on July 25. Many Indigenous people would like the Pope to publicly renounce the Doctrine of Discovery . Bruce McIvor is one of them. He is a lawyer, a historian and the author of Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous People and H...

As part of our picks of the top stories of 2022, we are re-airing this episode on inflation, which originally aired on April 20. With inflation eating into people’s bank accounts, some people are starting to wonder: Hey, is my paycheque shrinking? And according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, it is . Economics reporter Matt Lundy explains how inflation is resultin...